Diet Culture & Beauty Standards

Dieting, regulating one’s food intake for the purpose of improving one’s physical condition, especially for the purpose of reducing obesity, or what is conceived to be excess body fat.

The History of Diet Culture

Dieting is a practice that goes way back in time, though its purpose has drastically changed, and we haven't looked back since.

During the 19th century, dieting was seen more as a fitness and health tool for both men and women. Even though being overweight was frowned upon, thinness wasn't praised either. It was believed that being thin was a sign of poverty and starvation, while plumpness was the standard, representing health, and for women, motherhood.

The shift from plumpness to thinness as a beauty standard occurred in the early 20th century. The accessibility of ready-to-wear fashion and the "Flapper Girl" aesthetic shaped the new ideal body. At the same time, the food science field started giving more attention to the nutritional value of food and encouraging calorie counting. Dieting to lose weight, as you may have already deduced, was specifically directed towards women, while men continued dieting for fitness and muscle-gain.

The foundation of today's diet culture dates back to the 1950s and 1970s, when diet pills and slimming clubs began to grow. Many factors such as the post-war consumerism, innovative food science, the modernization of the media and the obesity-mortality connection set the scene for the dieting industry's peak.

The 90s, 00s and 2010s are remembered for their extreme slimness obsession; the "heroin chic", low-waisted jeans and the "Tumblr girl" aesthetic were some of the most influential factors. Exposure to the new waif-like body standard portrayed by the media, lead many girls and women to follow unhealthy and extreme diets, often resulting in eating disorders.

Nowadays, the rise of body positivity has helped our society improve the way we view standards and diet culture, but there is still a long way to go.

Almond Moms

"An almond mom is a parent who follows incredibly strict or dangerously unhealthy eating habits and attempts to force them on their children." (link)

This term gained popularity after several clips from "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills", where Yolanda Hadid is shown controlling her daughter Gigi's diet, went viral. (link)

As the definition states, almond moms impose eating habits on their children with the excuse that it is "for a healthier lifestyle", but they end up causing them to develop an unhealthy relationship with food. Diet culture and the slimness craze have had such an impact on these parents that they continue to pass on generational trauma to newer generations. If you are a parent, it's your responsibility to teach your kids healthy habits, not damage their self-esteem and trigger eating disorders. This can harm them forever.

Pilates Princess & Wellness Obsession

A Pilates Princess is defined as "a girl who spends her time working out, making green juices and smoothies and chugs green tea every night"

This term became a popular aesthetic on TikTok, which has led people to follow a healthier lifestyle and workout more to achieve wellness, but these kinds of trends can quickly turn into disguised diet culture.

Such an obsession with wellness and achieving the thin and toned Pilates body can lead to harmful habits, for example:

"Orthorexia is an unhealthy focus on eating in a healthy way. Eating nutritious food is good, but if you have orthorexia, you obsess about it to a degree that can damage your overall well-being."

It is important to keep a healthy lifestyle for the sake of our bodies and not just to be thin, look like someone else or to fit into an aesthetic. We should always follow professionals' advice when trying to keep fit and understand that everybody is unique. Healthy doesn't equal skinny.

The Ozempic Wave

If you thought that society had gotten over extreme thinness as a body standard, well, you thought wrong.

Fashion trends are a cycle. Every few years a certain fashion trend makes a comeback. Now, 2000s fashion is in, and so is the slimness craze. This body standard coming back has made people not only engage in diet culture once again but also fall for the new "magical weight-loss pills", allowing big pharma to profit off of their insecurities.

Ozempic is a type 2 diabetes medication which is prescribed to manage blood glucose levels. It is not a medication for people who do not have diabetes or are at risk of type 2 diabetes. As a GLP-1 analogue medication, it increases the levels of incretins – a hormone – which helps your body to produce more insulin when needed. It also supresses the amount of glucose produced by the liver. People with type 2 diabetes who use Ozempic can lose weight while using the medication, which happens partly due to its effect on:

* Reducing your appetite so you eat less

*Slowing down the movement of food in your gut, meaning you stay full for longer.

Celebrities made a trend of this medication, making people so obsessed that there is now a shortage. Diabetics are struggling to get hold of the medication they need, and people are taking Ozempic off-label without considering the consequences.

Some side effects of this drug can be stomach problems, bloating, stomach paralysis, temporary intestinal paralysis, the famous "Ozempic face", dry mouth and bad breath, hair loss, tiredness and fatigue, dizziness, excessive muscle loss, increased heart rate, etc.

Ozempic isn’t safe for everyone. According to the company, people with the following conditions should avoid using Ozempic: Pancreatitis, Type 1 diabetes, Under 18 years of age, Pregnant or breastfeeding, Diabetic retinopathy, Problems with the pancreas or kidneys, Family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2), or another endocrine system condition. There is nothing wrong with taking weight loss medication when prescribed by a professional. However, it is important to not follow everything celebrities do and to understand that bodies are not trends.

Spreading Awareness

Struggling with body insecurities and having a difficult relationship with food is a common challenge, especially in today's society dominated by diet culture and unrealistic social media standards. What you can do to overcome it is:

* Recognize the impact social media has on your mental health.

* Focus on health, not appearance.

* Love yourself.

* Educate yourself on diet culture and the negative effects it has.

* Develop a healthy relationship with food.

* Seek professional help.

* Make sure you are surrounded by positive influences.

* Participate in activities that make you feel good.

Remember, overcoming body insecurities and developing a healthy relationship with food is a journey that takes time. Be patient with yourself and celebrate small victories along the way. Your worth is not determined by your appearance.